Blake Broadcasting Signs a Major Television Rights Deal With ESL and DreamHack in North America and Asia

LOS ANGELES & MIAMI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#ESL–Blake Broadcasting (BBN) today announced an agreement with ESL, the world’s largest esports company, and DreamHack, the premier gaming lifestyle festival, to broadcast ESL and DreamHack tournaments beginning in March 2020 through July 2023. CBNN, a BBN channel and OTT service, will be the exclusive satellite channel in the United States, Canada, and Asia (excluding China) for the ESL CS:GO Pro Tour and Dota 2 competitions across Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL One, ESL Pro League as well as DreamHack Masters and DreamHack Open events.

“Our channels are dedicated to providing only the highest quality esports, news, sports, and entertainment content for our viewers, and this groundbreaking deal will make CBNN the largest television broadcaster of esports outside of China,” said Bob Blake, CEO of Blake Broadcasting and a founder of CBNN, Oak Park Capital, and several news networks. “We could not find a better partner to provide premium esports content than ESL and DreamHack. Combined with our support from SES and MX1 and our other major content providers and partners, we will be delivering the best in premium esports programming, which will be the priority anchor for our sports initiatives going forward.”

In addition to world-class live coverage of the most exciting competitions in esports from around the world, CBNN’s programming strategy will focus on primetime re-airs plus studio shows featuring highlights, news and interviews to deliver unparalleled coverage of esports year-round. CBNN will also bring world-class esports competition to millions of new homes in the U.S., Canada, and Asia through local and regional distribution on cable, free-to-air satellite, and over-the-top (OTT).

“ESL and DreamHack are extremely focused on improving the coverage and reach of our events, and with this partnership, our tournaments and other content will be available to hundreds of millions of satellite- and cable-equipped homes,” said Thomas Schmidt, Chief Commercial Officer at ESL. “Our agreement with BBN is in line with our ambition to expand our programming to mainstream audiences without compromising our world-class digital coverage for the esports community that we’re committed to serve.”

This marks one of the most significant media rights deals for ESL and DreamHack, which will expand their reach to new audiences. On the other hand, ESL and DreamHack content will comprise a key pillar of CBNN’s programming strategy.

About BBN/CBNN

BBN (Blake Broadcasting) is a leading-edge provider of news content globally, delivering 18 different news feeds daily, while creating over 1500 news stories per month through an extensive network and library of film and photographic content. BBN globally provides international, national, sports, Esports, fashion, environment, tech, lifestyle, politics, music, film and entertainment news through various brands it operates in numerous languages.

CBNN has rapidly grown into a major international programmer and content creator, which is operating satellite/cable television channels and digital networks with an OTT strategy. The European, Asian and North American networks feature news, Esports, entertainment, sports and original programming. It is an intelligent hybrid network, built with a blockchain technology concept that has partnered with leading major broadcast content providers.

About ESL

ESL is the world’s largest esports company. Founded in 2000, ESL has been shaping the industry across the most popular video games with numerous online and offline esports competitions. The company operates high profile, branded international leagues and tournaments under the ESL Pro Tour including ESL One, Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL Pro League, and other premier stadium-size events, to more clearly define the path from zero to hero. ESL also produces the ESL National Championships, grassroots amateur cups, and matchmaking systems, creating a world where everybody can be somebody. With offices all over the world, ESL is leading esports innovation on a global scale through the combination of global ESL competitions, amateur leagues, publisher activations, and more. ESL is a part of MTG, the leading international digital entertainment group. about.eslgaming.com

About DreamHack

DreamHack is all about entertainment for the digital generation. Founded in 1994 as a BYOC LAN party, DreamHack grew over 20 years to a global phenomenon as the digital festival for today’s youth, hosted throughout Europe and North America. DreamHack festivals feature multiple esports competitions, live music, exhibitions, creative competitions, LAN party, cosplay and much more. DreamHack helped pioneer esports and continues to be one of the largest global producers of esports content. Millions of viewers tune in from all over the world to watch DreamHack broadcasts every year. DreamHack events welcomed over 310,000 visitors in 2018. More information is available at dreamhack.com. DreamHack is part of leading international digital entertainment group MTG. More information at mtg.com.

About ESL Pro Tour

ESL Pro Tour is a circuit combining over twenty previously unconnected ESL and DreamHack Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments and leagues into one narrative that builds towards two masters championships each year, IEM Katowice and ESL One Cologne. The collaboration aims to create a more complete path from zero to hero for aspiring players, a more compelling story to follow for existing CS:GO fans and a much more transparent structure for new esports fans.